Rule based capacity management system for an inter office facility

ABSTRACT

A rule based capacity management system for an inter office facility is provided. The system includes a presentation layer for providing a graphical user interface to a user. The presentation layer is capable of receiving one or more rules from the user and for providing one or more analytical reports of the equipment based on the rules. The system also includes a data layer for storing rules, including the rules received from the user, and for connecting to an inventory system such as trunks integrated record keeping system (TIRKS). The system also includes a business layer interfacing between the presentation layer and the data layer. The business layer creates the analytical reports responsive to the rules and the raw data.

CROSS REFERENCE

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.09/687,635 filed on Oct. 13, 2000.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The present invention relates generally to monitoring systems andmore particularly, to a system and method for monitoring and analyzingone or more pieces of telecommunication network equipment via a rulebased system.

[0003] It is often desired to monitor specific pieces of equipment of atelecommunication network. Traditionally, the monitoring has beenprovided in a flat-file, data dump format. For example, a conventionalmonitoring system can show if a piece of equipment in a network is up ordown.

[0004] However, it is often desired to have a deeper analysis of theequipment. Consider for example an inter-office facility, or “IOF”. AnIOF can generically represent any node (or group of nodes) in atelecommunication network, and more specifically identifies one or morepieces of equipment used to interconnect various links or nodes, such asother networks, telephone lines, and/or trunks.

[0005] One way to monitor equipment in an IOF is to use a system calledthe Trunks Integrated Record Keeping System (“TIRKS”). TIRKS is commonlyused to help a regional bell operating company (“RBOC”) determine iffacilities exist to provide service, track order completion, fulfillcircuit orders, and perform inventory planning.

[0006] Although TIRKS provides a great detail of information, the methodof acquiring the information is very long and tedious. For example, inorder to review equipment of an IOF, many steps must be performed onTIRKS. The information provided by TIRKS is in a raw-data format, andmust be manually complied into a tabular form to represent the desiredinformation (e.g., exhaust conditions of one or more pieces ofequipment). If there is an exhaust condition, a new job must be createdfor TIRKS, and a job story must be manually created to satisfy variousRBOC reporting requirements.

[0007] What is desired is a system and method that automaticallymonitors one or more pieces of equipment, analyzes the pieces ofequipment, and creates review and/or reports from the analysis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a simplified description of several typicaltelecommunication networks and a monitor system according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the monitoring system of FIG.1.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary inter-office facilityincluding several different pieces of equipment, which the presentembodiment may monitor.

[0011] FIGS. 4-5 provide a simplified diagram and flow chart thatillustrates one embodiment of a software program for implementingfeatures of the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 6 is a flow chart that illustrates one embodiment of aninference engine for the software program of FIGS. 4-5.

[0013] FIGS. 7-10, 12-14 provide screen shots, such as from the computersystem of FIG. 2, that illustrate different embodiments of the presentinvention.

[0014]FIG. 11 provides a graphical illustration of one embodiment of arule tree for use by the software program of FIGS. 4-5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present disclosure relates to capacity management systems,such as can be used in an inter-office facility or a central office(hereinafter inter-office facility, or “IOF”). It is understood,however, that the following disclosure provides many differentembodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of theinvention. Specific examples of equipment, connections, and arrangementsare described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, ofcourse, merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention fromthat described in the claims.

[0016] The following disclosure is divided into three differentsections. First of all, an exemplary network and system is provided. Theexemplary network identifies two telecommunication networks that maybenefit from the present invention, and the exemplary system provides anexample of a system for providing a graphical user interface formonitoring a specific node of either or both of the networks. Secondly,an exemplary software routine is discussed for implementing oneembodiment of the graphical user interface. Thirdly, a plurality ofscreen shots are provided for illustrating the graphical user interface.

[0017] Exemplary Network and System

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, the reference numerals 10 and 12 designate,in general, two simplified networks. The networks 10, 12 include aplurality of nodes 14 and a plurality of links 16. A node is a point ofconnection in a network, and can be of any size. For example, an IOF isa node of a telecommunications network. Likewise, the IOF may includemany different pieces of equipment (e.g., switches), each of which mayalso be considered a node of the network.

[0019] In the illustration of FIG. 1, some of the nodes exist in bothnetworks 10, 12, and are therefore considered hubs. In the presentexample, each node includes a plurality of terminations where a serviceenters or exits the network 10, 12. In continuance of the example, thenodes 14 are IOF's and the links 16 are various types of trunks.

[0020] Referring also to FIG. 2, a monitoring system 20 may be connectedto one or more nodes of the networks 10, 12 for monitoring one or morepieces of equipment of the nodes. In one embodiment, the monitoringsystem 20 includes a personal computer 21 with a graphics display 22, acontrol unit 24, and user inputs 26 such as a keyboard and pointerdevice. The computer 21 is connected through a log-on connection 30 to afile server 32, which also includes hardware equipment found in atypical server computer. The file server 32 is further connected to aninventory system 34, such as the TIRKS system discussed above. It iswell known by those of ordinary skill in the art that variousimplementations can exist for the monitoring system 20. For example, insome implementations, the monitoring system 20 may include a larger,mainframe-type computer that is either locally or remotely accessible bya terminal or personal computer. In other implementations, themonitoring system 20 may include a series of computers. In still otherimplementations, the monitoring system may include or utilize a seriesof adjunct processors to one or more of the nodes 14.

[0021] The monitoring system 20 can perform various software routinesthat can produce a series of graphical output images. The images arearranged in a unique way to illustrate the status of a particular nodein the network 10. For example, the images can be used by networkengineers to analyze one or more particular pieces of equipment at thenode. The images can also identify exhaust conditions that may occur.The images are produced by a unique software program, discussed below,and may appear on the graphics display 22.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 3, for the sake of example, one node 14 ofthe network 10 or 12 may be an IOF 100, as illustrated. It isunderstood, however, that the illustrated IOF of FIG. 3 is simplifiedfor the sake of clarity, and many different configurations are wellknown in the art.

[0023] The IOF 100 includes many different pieces of equipment that anetwork engineer may desire to review. In the present example, the IOFincludes one or more pieces of equipment described in Table 1, below.TABLE 1 Equipment Description D4 102 A multiplexer/de-multiplexer unitfor combining multiple digital lines (e.g., DS0s) 104 into a digitaltrunk (e.g., DS1) 106; ORB 108 An office repeater bay that receives andamplifies a DS1 signal 110; M1-3 112 A multiplexer/de-multiplexer unitfor combining multiple DS1s 114 into a DS3 116; MFT1 118 A 2-wiremetallic frame terminal for amplifying and/or balancing an analog ordigital line 120; MFT2 122 A 4-wire metallic frame terminal foramplifying and/or balancing an analog or digital line 124; SMAS 126 Aport for allowing access and/or test of a digital line 128; Switch 130 Atrunk-side switch. Examples include a tandem (TMD) or plain oldtelephone (POTS) system; DCS1-0 132 A narrow band electroniccross-connect system that reconfigures a DS0 134; DCS3-1 136 A wide bandelectronic cross-connect system that reconfigures a DS1 138; DCS3-3 140A broad band electronic cross-connect system that reconfigures a DS3142; ATM 144 An asynchronous transfer mode switch for trunks 146; DSL148 A digital subscriber line splitter 148 for servicing a DSL line 150.

[0024] In the present example, it is desired to allow a user such as anetwork engineer to monitor and review one or more of the pieces ofequipment of the IOF 100.

[0025] Software Description

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 4, a rule based capacity managementcomputer program 200 can be used for creating reviews of variousequipment in the IOF 100. The computer program 200 may be performed by asingle component of the monitoring system 20 of FIG. 2, or may havedifferent aspects distributed throughout various processing platforms.In the present embodiment, the computer program 200 is performed by thefile server 32.

[0027] The computer program 200 includes a presentation layer 202, abusiness layer, 204, and a data layer 206. The presentation layer 202provides, in the present embodiment, the graphical user interface(“GUI”) to the user (e.g., the network engineer). The GUI allows theuser to set specific parameters for specific reviews and forecasts, andalso presents the data from the reviews and forecasts. The presentationlayer 202 may have many different components, such as listed in Table 2,below. TABLE 2 Component Description Review Monitor A table screen thatshows how many reviews a user has created. It retrieves this informationfrom the server. It also provides a history of the reviews. UserPreference This describes user preferences, such as a location andresponsibility, color of charts, and so forth. D&C Chart A graph ofdemand vs. capacity for a particular location. Chart Properties Thisallows customization of the D&C Chart. Forecast and This is a reportthat allows the user to enter a single Pending Job event forecasteddemand and/or a published forecast. Also, the user can enter pendingjobs that are not yet input to the inventory system 208. Review DetailsThis provides parameters defined for the review. It identifies a timeframe (e.g., monthly), forecast vs. trend, warning levels, etc. StandardThis identifies standard equipment configurations for Configuration theequipment. This is used to help determine the best Selection combinationof equipment, since the equipment configuration is fairly complex. LocalOffice This assists how the system automatically selects Profileequipment for a specific office. Job Justification This is aword-processing document automatically Story created by the system forspecific vendors. (e.g., RBOCs). Rule Based This allows the user (or anadministrator) to edit rules. Editor For example, if an equipment typechanges to a new model, different rules (with different parameters) mayapply.

[0028] The data layer 206 includes a database of the raw data for thereviews and forecasts. The raw data comes from an inventory controlsystem 208, such as the TIRKS system discussed above, using conventionaltechniques. In addition, the data layer 206 includes the rules that haveeither been predefined or defined by the network engineer. The rulesdefine such things as specific configurations of pieces of equipment,typical equipment performance parameters, equipment enduranceestimations, and so forth. An exemplary group of rules is provided inTable 3, below. TABLE 3 Rule D4s come in groups of eight. D4s can handleχ amount of capacity. D4s last for 2 years. Each D4 is 7 feet tall.

[0029] The business layer 204 serves as the engine between thepresentation layer 202 and the data layer 206. In the presentembodiment, the business layer 204 can predict future capacitysituations in one or more pieces of equipment being reviewed, and canpredict exhaust conditions among the pieces of equipment. The businesslayer 204 may have many different components, such as listed in Table 4,below. TABLE 4 Component Description Review Database This accesses theinventory system 208 (TIRKS) Inference Engine This is an artificialintelligence engine that performs the analysis, including the materialfor the D&C chart. Job Justification This creates the job justificationstory of Table 2 from Story the data layer 206. Detect Equipment Thisidentifies equipment exhaust conditions, from the Exhaust InferenceEngine Generate D&C This creates the D&C Chart of Table 2 from the dataChart layer 206. Select Standard This selects the appropriate standardconfiguration for Configuration the review. Distribution Thisdistributes the results. For example, an email can be sent to the userresponsive to predetermined “alarm” conditions.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 5, the computer program 200 beginsexecution at step 250, where the network engineer defines a review. Theengineer can define the review by selecting one or more pieces ofequipment, and various parameters for the equipment. The engineer canalso used predefined rules, or modify rules as desired.

[0031] At step 252, data relevant for the review is tracked. In thepresent embodiment, the data may be acquired by the TIRKS inventorysystem 208. The data is provided in a raw format. This data acquisitionmay occur over repeated intervals for a time span specified at step 250.

[0032] At step 254, the data is analyzed. The analysis is based on thepreviously provided rules. For example, the data can be accumulated in apredetermined manner, such as is required by a job justification story.

[0033] Referring also to FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the data can beanalyzed using an inference engine 300 to perform certain forecasts. Forexample, a prediction that the system under review will “exhaust” at acertain point in the future can be made. Execution of the inferenceengine 300 begins at step 302 where the data acquired at step 252 (FIG.5) is loaded. This data represents actual equipment status. At step 304,the rule base is searched for a match. If the equipment matches a rule,then execution proceeds to step 306 where the rule is “fired.” A rule isfired by performing “consequences” of the rule. A consequence is anaction or a conclusion that can be made from the particular piece ofequipment. At step 308, the consequence is provided for further analysisor reporting. Upon completion of step 308, or upon a negativedetermination at step 304, execution returns to step 302 until all ofthe data has been parsed (determined at step 309). As a result, eachpiece of data that has a corresponding rule will be fired on.

[0034] Referring again to FIG. 5, at step 256, the data is organizedinto a predetermined format and reported. The data may be reported as ajob justification story, in an email notification, and/or in variousgraphs. Since, in some embodiments, the program 200 may perform over anextended period of time, the data reporting step 256 may be repeatedthroughout the period of time, in similar or different reportingformats.

[0035] Exemplary Screen Shots

[0036] The program 200 can also be described by showing severaldifferent images from the presentation layer 202. Since the images aredynamic and interactive, screen shots of the images will be furtherdiscussed. The screen shots relate to exemplary situations of a node inthe network, such as the IOF of FIG. 3. It is understood that differentportions of the screen shots can be combined in various manners toproduce even more examples of the graphical user interface.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 7, a screen shot 350 illustrates oneexample of the user preference component of Table 2, above. The screen350 includes a menu 352 that allows a user to select one or morepossible regions (or “engineering areas”) for review. Once a region isselected, a window 354 lists all the IOF's for the engineering areas.The user can then transfer specific IOF's to a window 356 for furtherreview. Specific technologies can be selected in a window 358 and a timeperiod for review can be determined in a window 360. Once the selectionsare made, an initial review can be automatically created with a button362 to create a review for the selected offices and technologies.Further customization is possible by activating a button 364. Thisallows the user to choose “Review Monitor” and “D & C Chart” componentsas well as selecting an engineering function of the user.

[0038] Referring also to FIG. 8, one advanced option is to modify alocal office profile with a screen 400. In the present example, theconfiguration of an office repeater bay for a particular IOF (e.g. IOF100 of FIG. 3) is to be modified (e.g., ORB 108). Each IOF can havedifferent frame heights, and hold different quantities of equipment. Assuch, the user can change certain parameters of the equipment in theIOF.

[0039] Referring also to FIG. 9, a standard configuration list 450 maybe used to select a standard configuration for a specific IOF. In thepresent embodiment, the standard configurations are fixed and created byengineering boards and/or various equipment vendors.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, a rule-base manager screen 500allows the user to define rules for the rule based capacity managementprogram 200. The screen 500 allows the user to embed or encode businesslogic, company guidelines, and equipment properties into the rules.

[0041] The rules are organized in a tree structure 502. One part of thetree structure 502 is a rule set 504. The rule set 504 categorizes thedifferent “areas” of rules, which identify where the rules will beapplied and helps the inference engine 300 (FIG. 6) to identify whichrule set to apply when the need arises. In the example of FIG. 10, astandard configuration rule set requirement (“StdConfigReq-S8”) is onegroup of rules for a specific IOF. Other examples of rule sets wouldinclude a group of rules directed to timing requirements, sizingrequirements, and so forth.

[0042] Another part of the tree structure 502 are rules 506. Each ruleincludes an antecedent 508 and a consequent 510. The antecedent 508serves as a precondition for the rule, and the consequent 510 serves asa conclusion for the rule. In the example of FIG. 10, the rule officerepeater bay (“ORB”) has one antecedent basis of:

[0043] TechName is ORB.

[0044] If this antecedent is met, the following three consequents aremade:

[0045] Required Feature==TechName;

[0046] Required Feature ==FrameHeight;

[0047] Required Feature ==EquipmentDetail.

[0048] The consequents dictate a name, frame height, and equipmentdetail description for the ORB.

[0049] By having the above described tree structure, a great deal offlexibility is provided to the rules. For example, if later on the userwants to change the rules for the ORB, the consequent or antecedent canbe readily modified. As a result, changes to equipment, companyguidelines, or other rule logic does not require the user to rebuild theentire rule based capacity management program 200.

[0050] Referring now to FIG. 12, another way to create a review is withthe review monitor component of Table 2, above. A screen shot 550illustrates one example of the review monitor component. The screen 550creates a review (e.g., review “CRLS12DCO-5E M&S ALL T”) for aparticular piece of equipment (e.g., “DC0”) of an IOF (e.g., centraloffice “CRLSCA12”). A window 552 allows the user to schedule the reviewand a window 554 allows the user to select a certain piece of equipmentwith a HECIG code. The HECIG code identifies a human equipment commoninterface (HECIG) value. All the HECIGs that were included are shown,and can be sorted by a function 556.

[0051] A window 558 allows the user to modify the growth rate of theIOF, if certain conditions are known. For example, a population areaserved by the IOF can be under relatively rapid expansion. A window 560can allow different growth rate computation methods. A notificationwindow 562 can be used to activate email notification of the user whencertain conditions are met. A forecast button 564 causes a forecast andpending jobs window to appear, discussed below.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 13, a forecast and pending job screen 600 isused to illustrate different forecasts and jobs that make up a review.The screen 600 can be divided into two different sections: a forecastsection 602 and a pending jobs section 604. The forecast section 602indicates the status of a job (e.g., whether the current job is beingused), the HECIG code of the exact equipment type, date and quantity forthe forecast, and a description of what is causing the demand forforecast. The user (acting as the “owner”) may create a forecast, may“insert” it in the review list, and may “include” or use the forecast inthe review. The pending jobs section 604 identifies various equipmentmodifications that are being performed.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 14, one type of forecast is a D&C chart, asdiscussed in Table 2, above. A screen shot 650 illustrates one exampleof a D&C chart. In continuance with the present example, the D&C chart650 analyses an office repeater bay (“ORB”). A vertical axis 652identifies a bit rate level (e.g., DS1) for the ORB, and a horizontalaxis 654 identifies time. A curve 656 identifies maximum capacity forthe ORB. As can be seen, the maximum capacity has been increased atseveral times during the previous months, due to various enhancements tothe ORB.

[0054] A curve 658 identifies working or consumed capacity of the ORB upuntil the time of the last review. In the present case, the consumedcapacity 658 has always been below the maximum 656. A curve 660identifies a projected trend for the consumed capacity 658. As can beseen, the projected trend 660 intersects the maximum capacity 656 at apoint 662. In the present embodiment, the point 662 identifies a date ofSeptember 2002. This identifies to the user that an exhaust conditionwill probably occur at that date. The user may then respondappropriately, such as by increasing the maximum capacity for the ORB.The user may have requested email notification at a predetermined timebefore the point 662 (such as through the window 562 of FIG. 12). Sincethe review is performed for a period of time, more data will becomeavailable for analysis and a more accurate intersection point can bedetermined.

[0055] Conclusion

[0056] Thus, there is disclosed a system and method for monitoring andanalyzing one or more pieces of telecommunication network equipment viaa rule based system. In some embodiments, the system and method allow auser to quickly determine the status of the equipment. The system may beinteractive, and can quickly provide specific information withoutproviding superfluous or unnecessary information to the user. Inaddition, implementations of the various embodiments described above canbe performed very quickly, as compared to conventional techniques, suchas running a TIRKS online report facility.

[0057] While the invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form anddetail may be made therein without departing form the spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer program for monitoring equipment in atelecommunications network, the computer program comprising: apresentation layer for providing a graphical user interface to a user ofthe program, the presentation layer capable of receiving one or morerules from the user and for providing one or more analytical reports ofthe equipment based on the rules; a data layer for storing a pluralityof rules, including the rules received from the user, and for connectingto an inventory system for providing raw data related to the at leastone piece of equipment; a business layer interfacing between thepresentation layer and the data layer, the business layer creating theanalytical reports responsive to the rules and the raw data.
 2. Thecomputer program of claim 3 wherein the business layer includes aninference engine comprising instructions for: retrieving the data fromthe data layer; determining if a match exists between the data and oneor more of the rules; if a match exists, firing the rule on the data toproduce an analysis; and formatting the analysis into the analyticalreports.
 3. A computer program for monitoring equipment in atelecommunications network, the computer program comprising: apresentation layer for providing a graphical user interface to a user ofthe program, the presentation layer capable of receiving one or morerules from the user and for providing one or more analytical reports ofthe equipment based on the rules; a data layer for storing a pluralityof rules, including the rules received from the user, and for connectingto an inventory system for providing raw data related to the at leastone piece of equipment; a business layer interfacing between thepresentation layer and the data layer, the business layer creating theanalytical reports responsive to the rules and the raw data, wherein atleast one of the analytical reports is in the form of a jobjustification story, the job justification story being according to aformat determined by a regional bell operating company.
 4. The computerprogram of claim 3 wherein the graphical user interface of thepresentation layer provides a display screen comprising: a firstinterface portion for allowing the user to select the equipment; asecond interface portion for allowing the user to select a reviewperiod; a third interface portion for allowing the user to select aconfiguration for the equipment.
 5. The computer program of claim 4wherein the third interface portion allows the user to select aconfiguration for the equipment from a list of predetermined possibleconfigurations.
 6. The computer program of claim 3 wherein the graphicaluser interface of the presentation layer provides a display screencomprising: a first interface portion for allowing the user to select arule from a rule tree according to a rule set definition, the rulecomprising an antecedent and a consequent; and a second interfaceportion for allowing the user to modify either or both of the antecedentand the consequent of the selected rule.
 7. The computer program ofclaim 3 wherein at least one of the analytical reports indicates apredicted exhaust condition.
 8. The computer program of claim 7 furthercomprising a remote notification program interface for reporting atleast one of the analytical reports to the user through an automaticemail operation.
 9. The computer program of claim 7 wherein thepredicted exhaust condition is in the form of a demand and capacitychart.
 10. The computer program of claim 7 wherein the predicted exhaustcondition is determined through artificial intelligence.
 11. A methodfor monitoring equipment in an inter-office facility (“IOF”) accordingto one or more rules, the method comprising: defining a review for theIOF, the review identifying one or more pieces of equipment, a reviewinterval, a notification preference, and a plurality of rules;retrieving data for the one or more components identified in the review;analyzing the data by comparing the data to each rule, and if the dataand rule match, creating a conclusion based on the rule and the data;reporting the conclusion in a graphical format to a remotely accessibleserver.
 12. The method of claim 13 wherein the conclusion is in the formof a job justification story, the job justification story beingaccording to a format determined by a regional bell operating company.13. A method for monitoring equipment in an inter-office facility(“IOF”) according to one or more rules, the method comprising: providinga graphical user interface for selecting a configuration for theequipment from a list of predetermined possible configurations; defininga review for the IOF, the review identifying a review interval, anotification preference, a plurality of rules, and the selectedconfiguration of equipment; retrieving data for the one or morecomponents identified in the review; analyzing the data by comparing thedata to each rule, and if the data and rule match, creating a conclusionbased on the rule and the data; reporting the conclusion in a graphicalformat to a remotely accessible server.
 14. The method of claim 13wherein the step of identifying a plurality of rules comprises: allowinga user to select a rule from a rule tree according to a rule setdefinition, the rule comprising an antecedent and a consequent; andallowing the user to modify either or both of the antecedent and theconsequent of the selected rule.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein theconclusion indicates a predicted exhaust condition.
 16. The method ofclaim 13 further comprising: reporting the conclusion to a user throughan automatic email operation.
 17. A system for monitoring equipment in atelecommunications network, the system comprising: a graphical userinterface capable of receiving one or more rules from a user and forproviding one or more analytical reports of the equipment based on therules; a data server for storing a plurality of rules, including therules received from the user, and for connecting to an inventory systemfor providing raw data related to the at least one piece of equipment; aprogram for interfacing between the graphical user interface and thedata server, the program creating the analytical reports responsive tothe rules and the raw data.
 18. The system of claim 20 furthercomprising: an inference engine comprising instructions for retrievingthe data from the data layer, determining if a match exists between thedata and one or more of the rules, if a match exists, firing the rule onthe data to produce an analysis, and formatting the analysis into theanalytical reports.
 19. The system of claim 18 wherein at least one ofthe analytical reports is in the form of a job justification story, thejob justification story being according to a format determined by aregional bell operating company.
 20. A system for monitoring equipmentin a telecommunications network, the system comprising: a graphical userinterface for allowing a user to select a monitor set, the monitor setincluding at least one of either a subset of the equipment, a reviewperiod, or a configuration for the equipment; the graphical userinterface also for receiving one or more rules from the user and forproviding one or more analytical reports of the equipment based on therules and the monitor set; a data server for storing a plurality ofrules, including the rules received from the user, and for connecting toan inventory system for providing raw data related to the at least onepiece of equipment; a program for interfacing between the graphical userinterface and the data server, the program creating the analyticalreports responsive to the rules and the raw data.
 21. The system ofclaim 20 wherein the graphical user interface allows the user to selectthe configuration for the equipment from a list of predeterminedpossible configurations.
 22. The system of claim 20 wherein thegraphical user interface of the presentation layer provides a displayscreen comprising: means for allowing the user to select a rule from arule tree according to a rule set definition, the rule comprising anantecedent and a consequent; and means for allowing the user to modifyeither or both of the antecedent and the consequent of the selectedrule.
 23. The system of claim 20 wherein at least one of the analyticalreports indicates a predicted exhaust condition.
 24. The system of claim23 further comprising: a remote user interface system for reporting atleast one of the analytical reports to the user through a remoteinterface.
 25. The computer program of claim 3 wherein at least one ofthe analytical reports is in the form of a job justification story. 26.The system of claim 20 wherein the graphical user interface of thepresentation layer provides a display screen comprising: means forallowing the user to select the equipment; means for allowing the userto select the review period; and means for allowing the user to selectthe configuration for the equipment.